Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

Southern California Plays KBIG'S "MYSTERY SOUND" Game EVEN IN THE SPUTNIK AGE the copybook maxim holds ...to move goods, you must first move people. KBIG'S "MYSTERY SOUND" contests are moving Southern California radio listeners by the thousands this winter. 27,359 SUBMITTED ENTRIES in the first six contests (October-December) based on handcuffs clicking, a stick rubbed along a fence, a rock crusher crushing, Angel's Flight funicular railway funicularing, and a camel saying whatever it is camels say. "MYSTERY SOUND" GIVES A light lift to all, plus prizes to the first fifteen correct answerers (vacation trips, appliances, perfume, dining and dancing at glamor spots). LIKE ALL KBIG ADULT appeal programming of memory music and "just enough" news, "Mystery Sound" is lowpressure, easy-going, friendly— and fun. BUT... like KBIG commercials, it moves Southern California to action! Your KBIG or Weed contact would like to show you a new geographical mail breakdown based on contest mail. JOHN POOLE BROADCASTING CO. 6S40 Sunset Blvd.. Los Angeles 28, California Telephone: Hollywood 3-31205 Hat. Rep. WEED and Company OUR RESPECTS to Frank Elias Pellegrin FRANK E. PELLEGRIN changes from "one of the world's most efficient" men to the "cheerful, wonderful host" when he takes off his glasses. His associates say you can judge how busy he is by whether his spectacles are in place. He exudes the "spectacular," too, as for example when host in his own home which contains an amazing number of built-in desks and bureaus. No amateur at the workshop bench, Mr. Pellegrin takes his carpentry as seriously as he does the broadcast business. There are many stories about him and a well-read one by him. But an unwritten tale is his career covering more than a quarter-century from his college years to his present partnership and vice presidency at H-R Representatives Inc. and H-R Television Inc. Frank Elias Pellegrin was born July 15, 1908, in Merrill, Wis., the son of lumber businessman George J. Pellegrin and Delia Greenwood Pellegrin. He grew up in Merrill, was a reporter on the former Omaha Bee and entered Creighton U. at Omaha. During college, Mr. Pellegrin announced sports on WOW and KOIL Omaha. After he was graduated from Creighton in 1931 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree, Mr. Pellegrin stayed on campus for seven years, teaching news writing and publicity in the journalism school. He founded the Creighton U. of the Air (broadcasts on WOW), built remote studios and handled daily broadcasts that featured faculty members. He left academic surroundings to serve 1938-40 as local sales manager and later general sales manager of Central States Broadcasting System (KFAB Omaha, KOIL, KFOR Lincoln) and joined NAB in Washington to start a new Broadcast Advertising Dept. that was designed to work out problems of mutual interest to advertisers and their agencies and the broadcasters. This was the forerunner of Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and Television Bureau of Advertising (TvB). In 1942-45, he served with the U. S. Army, first in public relations at the War Dept. under Ed Kirby, then in North Africa as a communications officer. In the Italian campaign he pioneered with the wire recorder, covering, among other things, the Battle of Cassino, the Anzio beachhead landings and the French landings on Elba. When discharged, Mr. Pellegrin was a lieutenant colonel. After the war and until 1947, Mr. Pellegrin continued as director of broadcast advertising at NAB. In 1948, he built and managed KSTL in St. Louis. He left there to become vice president in charge of national sales of Transit Radio Inc. In 1950, Mr. Pellegrin's association with H-R Representatives began. He helped in the founding of the firm as one of five partners (one, Carlin French, has since retired). His partners today are Frank Headley, president and treasurer, who divides his time between radio and tv; Paul Weeks, an H-R vice president with responsibility over the firm's radio business, and Dwight Reed, who supervises the Chicago offices. MOST of Mr. Pellegrin's time is devoted to H-R Television Inc. and the development of H-R's spot tv business. A stickler for efficiency, Mr. Pellegrin a few years ago conceived a "survey" of what would be the best location for a station representative firm in Manhattan. That led to the move of H-R's offices from 42nd & Lexington to the current space at 47th & Madison. In 1930, he married the former Eleanor O'Halloran in Omaha. They have three children, John 13, Dan 10 and Ann Marie 6. His hobbies are golf, photography and carpentry. And he likes to write — therein the story by Mr. Pellegrin. During a long winter in Alsace during the war, he spent hours reading who-dunnits. His comradesin-arms listened to him pout about the calibre of writing — "Even I can write better than this," he exclaimed. This brought forth a challenge, and no man to flinch before a dare, Mr. Pellegrin did write a mystery. It was published in 1945 by Dodd Mead and entitled Hangman's Hill (wartime locale and a murder of a war correspondent), under the pen name of Franklin Pell. He also is author of Manual of Radio Advertising and co-author of Radio for Retailers. In business activity, Mr. Pellegrin also is a director and treasurer of Public Service Finance Corp.; director-secretary-treasurer of WATO Inc. (owner-operator of WATO Oak Ridge, which Mr. Pellegrin built) and stockholder in WLAF LaFollette, Tenn. He was president and principal stockholder of KSTL for about 10 years, an interest he sold last year. He is treasurer of Radio & Television Executives Society, vice president of Broadcast Pioneers, member of the Station Representatives Assn. standards and practices committee, Columbia U. Club and is active in the Pelham golf and country club, men's club and Little League. Of broadcasting, Mr. Pellegrin says, "It's one of the most dynamic things ever to come along." That's reason enough, he notes, to make it his life's work. Page 22 • December 30, 1957 Broadcasting